Possum in the roof: what NSW law allows

What NSW law says

Possums are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act. Harming or killing one is an offence, and trapping or handling them requires a licence. That rules out the hardware-store cage trap and the late-night drive to a park.

When a possum is caught, NSW rules say it must be released at dusk no more than 150 metres from where it was captured, usually on the same property, not relocated to bushland. The reasoning is practical as much as legal: possums are territorial, and one dumped in strange ground usually cannot find shelter and rarely survives.

The rules cover the common brushtail and ringtail possums you find in Sydney roofs. Even when one is keeping you up at night, it has the same protection as one in a national park, which is why the whole industry is built around eviction and proofing rather than relocation.

Why you cannot just relocate it

Even if relocation worked for the possum, it would not work for you. A roof void with an open entry point is prime real estate, and once a possum is gone the next one moves in within weeks. People spend seasons trapping and dumping possums and the thumping never stops.

There is a second problem with dumping a possum elsewhere: you have no idea whether it left young behind in your roof. Removal done properly accounts for that before anything is sealed.

The only lasting fix is proofing. Get the current possum out humanely, then seal how it got in. That is also the lawful approach, so the legal method and the effective method happen to be the same one.

What lawful removal looks like

Timing matters more than most people expect. In breeding season a mother locked out of the roof leaves dependent young behind, which is a welfare problem and a dead-animal-in-the-roof problem. The inspection checks for this before any door goes on.

• Inspection to confirm it is a possum and find every entry point
• A one-way door fitted over the entry, so it leaves at night and cannot get back in
• Or licensed trapping with release on the property, where a door will not work
• Entry points sealed and proofed once the roof is quiet
• A return visit to remove the door and confirm the roof is empty

Keeping them out for good

Once the roof is sealed, the noise stops for good, but you can make your place less inviting in the first place. Possums prefer an easy climb and an easy gap.

If the possum still wants somewhere to live, a possum box mounted on a tree in the yard gives it a legal home that is not your ceiling. Many families find the noise stops being a problem once the animal has its own spot outside.

• Seal gaps in eaves, roof lines and around flues
• Trim branches back from the roofline so there is no bridge across
• Cap chimneys and cover vent gaps with mesh
• Consider a possum box in the yard as an alternative home

Get it sorted

• Possum Removal →Humane, lawful removal, then sealed out for good.

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